How I Got Rhabdomyolysis

On May 29th, my boyfriend, his dad, and a few close friends decided we would do a workout at Crossfit Studio City. The WOD (Work Out of the Day) was dedicated to Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y., who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005. In remembrance of Lieutenant Murphy, the Crossfit community gets together every Memorial Day and completes one of the toughest workouts, known as, Murph.

Murph

1 mile run

100 pulls ups

200 push-ups

300 air squats

1 mile run

Post Murph:

Tuesday morning, I woke up feeling a little sore but nothing out of the ordinary. I had done Murph three times in my life, so I knew it was common to feel some soreness after an intense workout. It wasn’t until Wednesday and Thursday when I noticed I wasn’t getting better and was beginning to feel sorer as the days progressed. I couldn’t sleep, and I was frustrated that I couldn’t bend my arms or even get myself dressed–Yes, it hurt that much! Matthew and I, even went to the jacuzzi to help ease the pain, but nothing worked.

Friday morning hits and the pain was just unbearable. I decided it was time to do something about it and go to the ER to get some medication. Unfortunately, my situation turned out to be a lot more severe than just muscle pain. After the RN and Doctor saw me, they advised that it would be smart to run some blood work to figure out what was going on. At this point, I’m thinking, “Why the HECK do they need to do that for!?” Thirty minutes had gone by, and still no results. I had to leave for work, so the Doctor said she would call me if anything were wrong or unusual with my results. Two hours later, I got the CALL. My Doctor starts explaining that my liver counts were too high and that I need to come back to the Hospital as soon as possible. Of course, I start to freak out because I’m thinking the worst— DEATH. I started panicking and headed to the emergency room with Matt.

Shortly after arriving at the Hospital, I’m told that I need to be admitted for further evaluation. They start running more tests and start asking me all sorts of questions. At this point, I just wanted everything just to be okay. I’d be lying if I said, I didn’t cry for a brief moment. I was fortunate enough to have my boyfriend by my side the entire time, which helped keep my mind off things. After all the questions and test had been done, they escorted me to room #113 where I stayed for two nights. Once I was settled in, the nurse came in and told me that I’d been diagnosed with……….Rhabdomyolysis. If you’re wondering what the HECK Rhabdomyolysis is, well here’s the definition:

“Muscle tissue breakdown results in the release of a protein (myoglobin) into the blood. Myoglobin can damage the kidneys.”

The workout I did on Memorial Day was too much for my body to handle. It had been 1 1/2 years since I’ve done Crossfit, which would explain why my body went into shock. I spent two days in the Hospital, stuck to an IV and worried. On Sunday, I was finally released-with good news- from the Hospital with strict instructions not to workout and to take it easy— No more Super Women stunts here.

I’ll confess, it was the scariest experience, I’ve ever had. I thank God and the Doctors for keeping a close eye on me. My advice to anyone reading this is taking your time during a workout. Stay hydrated, eat before and after your workout and just make sure to take it easy— listen to your body!

A weekend that should have been filled with new experiences turned out to be a stressful one. The silver lining was having my family and friends by my side and feeling the love from my Instagram fam. A BIG shoutout to my boyfriend for being so amazing, caring and being right there by my side the entire time. I love you boo.

Well, there you have it! The complete story. Have you ever experienced anything like this? Share with me one of your scariest moments and how you overcame those moments?